And albion p



(No Modl.) '2 SheetS-Sh'eet 1.

J. O. TAYLOR, A. P. BENJAMIN & G. F. ALLEN.

GAN- LABELING MACHINE. No. 469,906. Patented M.ar...'1, 1892.

(No Model.)

2 Sheets-Sheet .2. A. P.-BENJAMIN, & G. F. ALLEN.

J. G.-TAYLOR',

CAN LABELING MACHINE.

No. 469,906. Patented Mar. 1, 1892.

e. e n W UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JOHN C. TAYLOR, OF YVESTPORT, MASSACHUSETTS, AND ALBION P. BEN- JAMINAND GEORGE F. ALLEN, OF OAKLAND, MAINE.

CAN-LABELING MACHINE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 469,906, dated March 1,1892.

Application filed November 2, 1889. Serial No. 329,043. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern Be it known that we, JOHN C. TAYLOR, oflVestport, in the county of Bristol and Commonwea'lth of Massachusetts,and ALBION P. BENJAMIN and GEORGE F. ALLEN, of Oakland, in the county ofKennebec and State of Maine, citizens of the United States, haveinvented certain new and usefullmprovements in Can-Labeling Machines;and we do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exactdescription of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in theart to which it appertains to make and use the same.

Our invention relates to machines for ap-; plying labels to the sides ofcylindrical cans.

So far as we are aware this work is now generally done by hand; and theobjectof our invention is to provide an efficient machine for thispurpose.

The general design of our machine is to roll the cans along a bed bymeans of a feedbelt, allowing it to pick up the label, whose two endsare pasted before the can reaches it by means of reciprocating brushes,which pass obliquely upward from a pasting-roll located at each end ofthe machine. Mechanism is provided for releasing the labels one at atime as the cans pass over them and for the adjustment of all parts toadapt the machine to cans of different sizes.

Our invention consists in the combination of parts as set forth in theclaims.

' In the accompanying drawings we illustrate a machine which embodiesthe several features of our invention.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a side elevation. Fig. 2 is an endelevation. Fig. 3 is a plan .or top view with the feeding-belt and oneof its pulleys omitted. Fig. 4 is a longitudinal section on the line 00a; of Fig. "2, omitting the same parts as in Fig. 3. Fig. 5 is a partialsection on line x 00 of Fig. 3. Figs. 6 and 7 are details inperspective, and Fig. 8 is a section on line 00 a: of Fig. 7.

A is the frame of the machine, preferably made of cast-iron, the partsbeing secured together by bolts or otherwise, the upper part or bedbeing preferably inclined from end to end. Secured to the higher end ofthe machine and forming a continuation of the bed thereof is a table B,having flanges b, one on each side, to form a channel, through which thecans to be labeled are fed to the machine. Braces I) retain the table Bin place, their lower ends being attached to the frame of the machine.Secured to the top of the frame are two straight guides at a, one oneach side. They are adj ustabl y secured by means of bolts a passingthrough slots a in the guides. These guides extend lengthwise of themachine so far as the operation of applying the label takes place. Theyare placed parallel with each other and are adjusted to make thedistance between them equal to the length of the can to be labeled. Forsome distance at the center each guide has a vertical web a, whichprojects slightly inward at the level of the bed of the machine to forma narrow ledge or shoulder, (see Fig. 5,) on which the end of the cansroll. Between the two inner faces of the vertical web a is thelabel-holder I. This is preferably a flat wooden board inclined toconform to the slope of the bed. It is supported in such a mannerastohave a vertical motion by means of rods 1', adapted to move up anddown in suitable guides, as t" 1' secured to the machine. When at itshighest position, the label-holderI is a trifle above the ledges orshoulders on which the can rolls. Pivoted to the vertical portion ofeach guide a are two or more vertical arms d having on their upper endsinward-projecting fingers (Z, extending out over the edge of thelabelholder, which bears against their under surface when at its highestposition. The fingers d are, as here shown, flat on their under sidesand rounded on top in such a manner that b they will be pushed outwardas the edge of the can rolls over them. The fingers are kept pressedinward at all times by a suitable spring, as d, Fig. 1, which is securedat its center, each of its ends resting on one of the vertical arms (1to press it inward, as described.

1 represents the labels, which are laid in" a pile on the label-holderI, the 'top label being pressed upward against the fingers cl by meanshereinafter shown.

We provide for evening the ends of the labels by means of a guide orevenert' which is secured to the bracket 2' by means of aslot 1 wherebyit may be adj usted with relation pressure is exerted, whatever thedepth of the to the end of the label-holder. The upper end of the eveneris turned over the end of the label-holder to form a small flange orshoulder, against the under side of which the back ends of the labelspress and by which they are held.

The holder I is pressed upward with a uniform tension by means of levers11 pivoted to the ears 1' and weighted by means of weights 1', adjustably secured thereto. By the use of weights for this purpose aconstant upward pile of labels may be, on'the holder I.

Between the ends of the label-holder and the ends of the machine wesupport the can by means of ledges c, placed in line with the bed of themachine, one on-each side thereof. These ledges, as here shown, areinadeintegral with the brush-guides C, hereinafter described.

A'n apron a forms the rear end of the bed of the machine, and on thisapron is a cushion a, extending transversely across the bed. Thiscushion is so placed relative to the label- ,holderthat as the can rollsthrough after receiving its label the pasted joint will come in contactwith it as the can passes over, thus giving it an additional pressure.

The paste is placed in two pans G,'one at eachend of the machine andsupported on brackets g, and in one end of each'pan is the paste-roll G,which rotates in suitable bearin gs'g'flattached to the sides of thepan. These pans areinclined slightly toward the end containihgthepaste-roll,'an'd they are raised and loweredfor the purposes ofadjustment by means of the set-screws g. A band-pulleyg is attachedtothe outer end of theshaft of each roll, and these pulleys areconnected by bands g with band-pulleys g on the main driving shat't f(See Fig. 2.) On the end of the main shaft is the driving-pulley j Thepaste is applied, as'herein shown, simultaneously'to each end of thelabel by meansof two brushes J, one at each end of the machine. Eachofthe brushes J when at its normalposition extends horizontally over thepaste-roll and a little backfrom its highest point, each end-5d restingin a groove 0' in the brush-guide 'G. The form of brush which Iprefer'to use is that herein illustrated, although other forms of brushmay be used with good elfect, It consists of a main bar haviug'seeuredto its under side a bar 2 J by means of screws 4 J passing through slots6 J. Held between the bar 2 J and the 'main bar is a strip' of somesuitable fabric, as cotton cloth 3 J, whose edges are folded down andsewedto a strip of sponge 1 J, which forms.

the paste-brushproper. Thebrush has a reciprocating motion back andforth in the groove 0', which extends along over the paste-' roll,thence passes obliquely upward to a point over'theend'of the label,thence it drops down upon the label a short distance from the end anddraws along the label to-the end, thence it passes obliquely upward,lifting itself from contact with the label at the extreme end, and soback by the same groove in which it advanced. It will be observed thatthe groove 0 doubles on itself to produce the required motion over theend of the label, and between the two divisions of the groove is a latch0 whose upper and under edges form the walls of the groove. The latch cis pivoted at the back end or the end next the label, the opposite endbeing free to move vertically. The latch is so hung that when the brushis movin gforward it passeson top,thence drops down, and comes backunderneath, lifting the free end as it rises from the end of the label.The groove 0' is formed in the brush-guide O, which is secured to theframe of the machine by means of a bolt passing through aslot 0 Theparticular construction of this brush-guide being formed, as it is,integral with the ledge c and being adjustable longitudinally forms aready means of setting the brush to deliver its paste in any particularplace.

pivoted to an upright lever K, which is pivoted at its lower end to arod We here The han- I dle j of the brush extends backward and is showthe handlej connected to said. lever by means of a yoke formed in itsend and fitting over a stud in the end of said lever. This le-' ver K isreciprocated by means of a link 7c,.

pivoted to it at one end by means of a stud V is, passing through a slot70, which extends laterally across the lever K. the lever K is regulatedby the position of the link k is pivoted the roll k and this end of thelink is supported by a verticallink 7c,

the lower end of which is pivoted-to it a.

short distance from the end, the upperend being pivoted to the frame ofthe machine.

The link k is thus free to move longitudt.

nally for a limited distance, taking thelever K with it. The rolls 70(two in number) rest against the edge of the cam 713 the lower ends ofthe two links 70 being connected and drawn.

toward each other by means of a spring 70 This spring 70 thus forceseach roll against.

the edge of the cam and draws inward the lever K, which operates thebrush. The camJo" is secured to an arbor f which is.j0urnaled to themachinein suitablebearings. Thecam is rotated by means. of a gear fsecured to.-

the endof the shaftf and adapted ;to engage the small gearf on the endof the main. It is made with two .opposite con-- centric portions andtwo opposite flattened.

shaft.

or eccentric portions, so as to impart to the brush J thefollowingmotions, viz: Thebrush.

'is held back in rear of ,the roll G. during about a quarter-revolutionof the cam; .,-It is then moved inward to the label and back again.

during the next quarter-revolution,and so on.

The cans to be labeled are fed to the machine by being rolled downtheinclined table.

B. They are held normally by means of fin gers d, which project upthrough openings in the table. cross-bard, the ends of which are securedto These fingers are secured to a which tends to adhere to the belt Fthe short arms of two bent levers h, one of which is pivoted to eachside of the machine. The long arms of these levers h extend obliquelydownward and are tripped regularly by two knock-off fingers f secured toa hub on the end of the arborf The long arm of each lever h is connectedwith the frame of the machine by a spring h, which retains it in itsnormal position.

The can is fed through the machine by means of the feed-belt F, whichruns parallel with the bed of the machine over two pulleys F and F Thepulley F is secured to an ar-' bor e, journaled in a frame .E, the innerend of which frame is pivoted to lugs 6, attached to the frame. Betweenthe journal-box and the end of the frameE is an upwardprojecting rest 6A swinging frame f is pivoted to the arbor e between the sides of theframe E and the pulley, and two rods f are secured to this frame andconnect it with the sleeves F to which the pulley F is'journaled.

Each of the sleeves F is adjustable longitudinally on the rod f, and isheld'in place by the nutF. .A stop I Fig. 3, projects from each side ofthe frame f and is adapted to bear against the rest 6 when the framefistilted backward to permit access to the bed of the machine, so that theseveral parts may be properly adjusted.

The frame E is raised and lowered, ashere shown, ,by means of anadjusting-screw 6 the lower end of which rests on a bracket 6'.

The pulley F is rotated by means of a sprocket-wheel f connected-by" asprocketchain f tothe sprocket-wheelf on the end of the main shaft'f. fIn order to avoid accumulating the paste in small quantities from thepasted label and is liable in time to peel the latter off when halfapplied, we secure at or near each edge of the belt a narrow strip f.These strips bear on the ends of the can as it rolls through themachine, and if any paste adheres to them it l. will not be sufficientto pull off the label.

The operation of the machine is as follows, viz: The labels are placedin a pile on the holder 1, one end resting against the evener i which isplaced vertically, so that the top 1abel will overhang slightly on theother end. The cans are fed down the table B by a suitable arrangement,and rest in. turn against the fingers (1 One of the knock-off fingers ftrips the lower end of the lever h and depresses the fingers d,releasing the can, which rolls under the pulley F and is caught by thebelt F and rolled along through the machine. About the time the canstarts the cam it allows each of the levers K to draw forward, pushingin the brush, as already described, and pasting simultaneously both endsof the top label. 'The paste is applied at greater or less distance fromthe end, as desired, and the brush lifting itself squarely from the endprevents the spilling of the paste. The can is fed along until itcatches the end of the la- As will be seen, the machine is provided withadjustments in all parts to fit it to cans ofdifferent sizes.

The length of the can .is accommodated by adjusting the guides alaterally. The point of applying the paste is regulated by changing theposition of the pivot in the slot 7;, whereby the lever K is thrown agreater or less distance in or out, and also by shifting the position ofthe brush-guide C in or out to correspond with the throw of the brush.

For different sizes of labels different holders are to be used, and itis to be noted that this is the only part which is not adjustable fordifferent sizes of cans.

The amount of paste taken by the brush is regulated by raising orlowering the paste-pan by means of the adjusting-screws g, thus bringingthe pasting-roll into more or less close contact with the brush.

The height of the belt above the bed of the machine is regulated at oneend by the screw 6 and at the other by the adjustable arm F The belt istightened by extending the length of the rod f by-means of the screw FIt is evident that many changes and alterations may be made in themachine herein shown and described without departing from the spirit ofour invention as set out in the claims.

We clain1 1. In a machine for labeling cans, the combination of alabel-holder, pasters for applying paste to the ends of the label, and afeedbelt for rolling the can over said label, substantially asdescribed.

2. In a machine for labeling cans, the combination of a label-holder, aweight-actuated lever for forcing the same upward, pastors, and afeed-belt for rolling the can over said label-holder, substantially asdescribed.

8. In a machine for labeling cans, the combination of a label-holder,pasters for applying paste to the ends of the labels, a swinging framepivoted by one end to the top of said machine and substantially parallelwith the bed and extending the entire length thereof, pulleys journaledto the ends of said frame, and afeed-belt adapted to run on saidpulleys, substantially as described.

4:. In a can-labeling machine, a short swinging frame pivoted to one endof the machine, a pulley, as F, journaled thereto, a frame pivoted tothe arbor of said pulley and'eX- tending the length of the machine, apulley F journaled at the other end of said frame, a feed-belt adaptedto run over said pulleys,

and a rest or bearing for supportingthe free end of said last-namedframe,substantially as described.

5. In a machine for labeling cans, a holder for retaining the labels inthe bed of the machine, combined with a reciprocating pasting brush heldnormally below the level of the bed of the machine, guides for directingthe motion of said pasting-brush from its normal position to a pointabove the end of the label, thence dropping upon the end of said label,and back to its normal position, substantially as described.

6. In a can-labeling machine, a holder for retaining the labels in thebed of the machine, combined with a reciprocating pasting-brush heldnormally below thelevel of the bed, guides for directing the motion ofsaid paste-brush from its normal position upward to a point above theend of the label, thencedropping upon the label near the end, thenceback to the extreme end, and up and back to its normal position,substantially as described.

7. 'lhecombinatiomwiththe main frame and the label-holder arrangedtherein, of the arms pivoted to the frame and carrying fingersprojecting through the frame andover the lateral edges of thelabel-holder, and springs secured ing an upper convex surface, wherebythey will be pressed outward by the ends of the can, and springs forpressing said fingers normally inward, substantially as described.

9. A belt above the bed of the machine and parallel therewith forfeeding the cans, and a cushion on saidbed for compressing thepastejoints, substantially as described.

10. In a can-labeling machine having reciprocating brushes, thebrush-guides provided with integral ledges to support the cans in theirpassage to and from the labels.

In testimony whereof we aifiir our signatures in presence of twowitnesses.

JOHN C. TAYLOR. I ALBION P. BENJAMIN; GEORGE F. ALLEN.

Witnesses:

J. E. HARRIS, 1 1.0. TAYLOR.

